Retroreflective materials are commonly employed for safety and decorative reasons. In particular, many trucks are marked with conspicuity tape to reduce the incidence of side-on and rear-end collisions. The United States Department of Transportation has promulgated a set of regulations regarding retroreflective conspicuity enhancement systems for commercial vehicles. Other countries are implementing similar regulations.
Full contour marking of commercial vehicles allows viewers to determine the full dimensions of the vehicles. However, often trucks have just a flatbed with a load covered by a tarpaulin. The tarpaulin generally does not show the profile of the load on the truck at night. Previous known tarpaulins can include free-standing retroreflective elements formed on a substrate for application of a retroreflective structure to a preexisting tarpaulin formed of compatible fabrics. For instance, see U.S. Pat. No. 5,637,173.
Therefore, a need exists for a retroreflective system having a cover for a truck load that can enhance the profile of the truck at night.
In accordance with the present invention, a tarpaulin includes a sheet having an outer side and an inner side. A reinforcing webbing is applied to the outer surface of the sheet. A retroreflective sheeting is incorporated onto the reinforcing webbing. A plurality of straps is joined to the retroreflective sheeting on the outer side and for attaching to a perimeter of a vehicle.
The present invention has many advantages which include improved visibility of the perimeter of the vehicle. The present invention also has the advantage that the retroreflective tape is incorporated onto the reinforcing webbing and is applied to the outer surface of the tarpaulin, thereby not only reinforcing the strength of the tarpaulin but also supplying an element of safety. Also significant is that this configuration allows the retroreflective tape to be applied without additional labor steps.